Fear is the Heart of Love
by iamNEVERbroken
Summary: CloudXLeon. Not good with summaries, especially if my story isn't finished yet. Leon slowly becomes frustrated with Cloud. Why can't the damn kid stop disappearing?
1. Ch1: Visitors

**HeY everybody! This is my first fic ever, so be nice! Lol I just love the whole Leon/Cloud pairing, they're both so quiet and cute lol. Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know right now that I dont know much about these character's actual backgrounds in like Final Fantasy. I tried to play some of the games and stuff and get in to it, but the lack of Ps2 in my household is not helping.**

**And I just want to try and explain now so it's not too confusing. The first point of view is Leon's. Then the little break thinger means it's Cloud's and it switches back and forth. Tell me if it gets too confusing.**

**Oh yeah p.s. I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any ch****aracters associated with it.**

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**Chapter 1**

**Visitors**

_-------------Leon's PV------------_

I halted momentarily in my walk to look around. Nothing. As usual. You would think I'd be overwhelmed with the fact that the heartless were appearing less and less, but no, I was bored. And Traverse Town was becoming especially quiet now that Sora was appearing less and less too, like the heartless.

I started walking again and didn't stop until I was in front of an old hotel. I simply stared at the handle before going in. Did I even want to go in? What was there to do in there? Even less than out here, that's what. The old hotel was currently being cleaned by Aerith and Yuffie, and I sure didn't want to get stuck helping. I turned away from the door of the building and started in the opposite direction I came from.

Sure, our small group of friends got the occasional visitors here and there; which were usually old friends and simply passing by. No one stayed for very long. Could you blame them? Traverse Town had to be the most tedious world of them all. I sighed and kicked a pebble with my foot.

Now I definitely was a very antisocial guy. I don't like being around people all that much, especially a lot of people at the same time. But when a person would stay with us, sometimes I found him-self sticking around the place a lot more, hoping to hear news of the outside worlds.

"Squ-... I mean uh... Leon?"

_Damn. I've been found._

I stopped and slowly looked over my shoulder to see Yuffie standing behind me with her hands on her hips. I gave a small grunt: my show of acknowledgment.

"We have a visitor."

I stayed calm and simply stared at her, but my insides were practically shouting with excitement, "Who?"

Yuffie giggled, "An old friend of mine, Aerith's, and Cid's. I don't think you know him."

I stood there for several more minutes without saying anything.

"I'll be back later." Then I walked away, my way of saying this conversation is over, so go away.

But, as usual, Yuffie didn't take the hint and jumped up and down, "Hey! I think you might actually get along with him! He's just as broody as you!"

I didn't look back, but I heard Yuffie giggle again and skip off towards the hotel.

_----------------------------Cloud's PV--------------------_

The number one thing I hated. Girls ... or at least girl's fussing. Seriously, I made it in one piece, nothing was about to fall off, and I was well fed. There was NOTHING to fuss over!

"Oh Cloud! You're oookkkayy!" Yuffie dragged the last word out as she clasped her hands together and hopped up and down.

"Yuffie! We all realize he's okay, damnit! So get away!" I smiled as I recognized Cid's voice and silently thanked him.

Cid gave me a half wave as he walked by, "Hey kid."

I stood up and followed him, "Hey old man."

Cid grunted and glared at me over his shoulder, "Oh shut up, I ain't that old." I chuckled and proceeded to trail after him out the door, "So ... is that everyone you're living with? Aerith and Yuffie?"

Cid turned a corner and shook his head, "Nah, we got Squall too. He's around somewhere."

"Squall?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Don't dare call him that though. He goes by Leon now." Cid gave me a stern look and stopped in front of a door. He stared at me for a moment, "You seem different."

I stared right back and shifted uncomfortably, how did I seem different? "How so?"

He shrugged, "I don't know." Then Cid opened the door and waved good-bye. I nodded and walked down the hall. This place sure was boring.

I found my way in to what seemed like an old check-in room. There was a small front desk by the door and a couple fake trees at the corner. A fire place sat in the opposite wall with a couch and a coffee table. Several dusty old photos aligned the wall behind the desk, but I didn't care about them.

"Cloud?" I stood absolutely still as I recognized that voice. Cid had said it was only him, Aerith, Yuffie, and that Squall guy living here ... right? My eyes widened as I tried to think this over. Maybe I had just imagined the voice. Yeah, that was it! Confident that it was just my imagination, I kept walking.

"Cloud!" I stopped again, this time daring to look over my shoulder. My suspicions were right. It was her, "Tifa!" She smiled and nearly jumped in to my arms. I hadn't seen her since our world disappeared. I thought I had lost her.

"But Cid never said you were here?" I stared at her in shock as she hugged me.

"I just got here! When did you get here?" She let go of me.

"Just a bit ago."

"It's true! I thought Aerith was lying!" I backed up as I saw an excited Yuffie running in to the room. Tifa laughed and the two girls embraced in a hug and jumped up and down together: my cue to leave.

I opened the front door and gracefully stepped outside. The cool air stung my cheeks for a moment before I pulled up my scarf. What was there to do in this small little town anyway? How did people make a living? Aerith had told me that it is supposed to be a refuge for people who have lost their own worlds. I sighed and rubbed my neck. I didn't even miss home. Sure I missed all my friends, but they were here now. Well, most of them were anyway. My stomach lurched as I thought of Vincent. A part of me yearned to figure out if he was okay, and another part of me _knew_ he was okay. He always was. I sighed again and paced. I was confused. Our world was destroyed a while ago. Yuffie, Aerith, and Cid had obviously made it here right away. I had ended up in a different world but I made it to this one eventually too and obviously Tifa had as well. But time was getting shorter and although seeing the others had given me a little more hope, there was still something that told me there was always a chance Vincent hadn't been so lucky. I shook that thought from my head and turned back towards the building.

The warmth of the building hit me in a heat wave. Obviously someone didn't like the cold. I unwrapped my scarf and yelled Yuffie's name. She instantly came bounding down the hall, "What? You think you can just call me over to you like a servant?" She huffed and crossed her arms. I suppressed a smirk and shrugged. But Yuffie could never be down for long and her posture immediately shifted and she smiled up at me, "Well, what did you want?" I pulled off my cape and draped it across my arm, "Where am I sleeping?" She put a hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle, "In Squ-, I mean Leon's room." I raised an eyebrow at her, "What's so funny?" She laughed and started across the room, "Good look with him ... he's broody, he's mean, though I have to admit he's definitely good-looking, especially when he's-" I cut her off and grunted, "Yuffie, shut up. I don't care what he's like, I just want to know where he sleeps." I mentally slapped myself as we both stopped dead and I realized how stupid that sounded. She giggled and kept walking, "Oh I see what kind of guy you are ... mess around with them and then leave them." She giggled for the millionth time that night and stopped in front of a room. I glared at her as hard as I could and muttered 'shut up' before walking in the room, slamming the door behind me.

As soon as I walked in I realized how cold it was in the room. The rapid temperature changes were starting to make me feel sick and I put a palm to my forehead. It obviously wasn't Leon ... or was it Squall?, who didn't like the cold. I looked around and noticed a cot in the corner of the room: my cot, I guess. I kicked off my boots and slid beneath the covers, too tired to change my clothes. I turned so I was facing the wall and went to sleep.

_----------------Leon's PV--------------_

I looked up at the stars in the sky and realized how late it must be. I stretched my sore muscles and stood up. Why was I even trying to patrol the area? There was nothing here. I ran a hand through my hair before climbing up the steps and heading towards the hotel. As soon as I stepped in the door I felt a different presence. Oh yeah ... we had visitors. I headed straight to my room without stopping in the kitchen to talk to the others. I softly kicked the door open and smiled at the cool air. Just the way I liked it. It didn't take long for me to sense another person in the room and I quickly turned around. There was a cot in the corner with a blond sleeping in it. I made a face that was probably a cross between annoyed and confused. Why would the visitor be in my room? The small hotel had at least six bedrooms and only four were normally occupied. I crossed my arms and glared at the wall. If this was another one of Yuffie's dumb ideas, she was going to get a crack over the head later.

_-------------------Cloud's PV-----------------_

I woke up slightly shivering and took in my surroundings. I didn't recognize anything and stared at the other bed, slightly confused. Oh. Right. Traverse Town. A small hotel. Some random guy's room.

Speaking of said guy ... where was he? I never heard him come in last night and I never heard him leave. I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

I was already dressed so I walked across the room and out the door. The heat hit me again and I groaned. _Damn the different temperatures!_ I walked in the direction that I guessed was the kitchen and was apparently right once I smelt breakfast cooking. I stepped in to the large room and took in my surroundings. Cid was reading through a gummi manual, Tifa and Aerith were busy cooking and Yuffie was leaning back in a chair, yawning like crazy.

I stepped further in to the room and everyone suddenly noticed me. Yuffie snickered, "So how was sharing a room with Leon?" I rubbed my eyes and stood awkwardly as I noticed everyone's eyes on me, "I don't know... I didn't see him at all." Aerith's face turned to one of worry and she shook her head, "He's not getting nearly enough sleep and he can't possibly be eating enough."

Yuffie scratched her chin, "I don't get it ... usually the stubborn idiot sticks around the place a lot more when we have visitors."

Cid chuckled, "He probably wasn't happy after realizing last night that he has to share his room."

"Why? It's not like he's ever in it anyway." Yuffie snorted.

Aerith looked out the window at the town, "I'm sure he'll be back for supper, he usually is."

They all nodded and continued to eat breakfast.

_-------------Leon's PV----------------_

I stopped for an omelet at a small cafe in the first district. When I was done I paced around the front gate and thought. It had been over two months since we last saw Sora. I'm sure if anything had happened to the kid we'd would have known by now, but still. He usually stopped by every few weeks for supplies and the last time he did, he hadn't grabbed very much. They would have had to run out of potions and elixirs at least a month ago. Hopefully that meant that they just weren't dealing with enemies that much lately.

I jumped on the few boxes stacked near Cid's shop and climbed up on the roof like usual. I watched the people walk around the town with a care and sighed. Once again, nothing to do. First I watched an older couple walk hand in hand in to the same cafe I had just left. A redheaded girl was chatting with a friend in a language I had never heard before. They both laughed suddenly and then the redhead walked away. I raised an eyebrow and looked around. I spotted a familiar head of blond hair appearing out of the alley and I watched as the kid stopped in the street to look around. Probably exploring. I couldn't help but feel a jealousy towards him. He was new here so every district was like a discovery to him and exploring the town would actually give him something to do. I knew the town like the back of my hand and every little corner was familiar to me. Nothing was ever new.

The blond stared at each building for a moment before pressing on to the next one. None of them seemed to catch his eye, so he eventually pushed open the doors to the Third District and disappeared completely from sight. I stared after him for a moment before deciding to follow him. At least it will give me something to do. I jumped down from the roof and on to the usual boxes. Those boxes actually weren't always there. I think Cid had seen me try to get up there with difficulty once, because the next day they had mysteriously shown up. I got down off the boxes and headed for the steps.

At first I wasn't sure where the blond had gotten to but I eventually saw him staring at the Lady and the Tramp monument. There were plenty of people standing around or passing through so I easily blended in as I followed him across the stone street. He stopped here and there to examine things like engravings in the ground and walls or signs that pointed in every direction. Eventually I grew bored with following him as well and turned to head back to the hotel.

"SQUALL LEONHART! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Yuffie tapped her foot. I'd barely made it in front of the place before she had burst out the door and glared at me.

I rolled my eyes and sighed, "My name is Leon." I tried to walk past her but she put her arm out to stop me, "Well then Leon _Squall_heart, where have you been? In the past week I think I've seen you twice!" I shrugged, "Maybe you weren't looking in the right direction?" With that I pushed her arm out of the way and walked inside. Yuffie closed the door behind me and practically screamed at the top of her lungs, "AERITH! I FOUND HIM!" I winced and looked back at her, "Was that really nessicary?" She stuck out her tongue and headed toward the kitchen. I followed her.

"Leon! There you are!" Aerith smiled and handed me a plate, "We were just eating lunch, want a sandwich?" I waved her and the sandwiches off and turned to stare at a black haired women. She stared back for a moment before smiling and saying, "I'm Tifa." She looked like she was about to stick her hand out, but was obviously a lot smarter than she looked because she instantly dropped it.

I turned back to Aerith and raised my eyebrow, "We have two visitors?" Aerith smiled again and nodded, "Oh yes! It's been wonderful too! Someone who can finally help cook!"

I ignored that comment and glared, "And what about the blond who is annoyingly taking up space in my room?" Aerith's smile didn't leave her mouth but she opened it to say something until Yuffie cut her off, "That's Cloud Strife! He's just as cute as I remember too! I'm telling you ... you guys sure will get along. Both quiet. Both mean. Wow, I think that sentence was the most I've heard you say since we met! Aerith, can I have a sandwich?" I blinked at the rapid change in subject and the others simply stared as well. Aerith broke the silence and smiled as she handed Yuffie a plate, "Cloud's staying in your room because Tifa is taking one of the spare rooms and the other room still isn't finished."

I heard footsteps in the entrance and glanced at the door. The familiar blond was watching us all before simply saying, "I'm kind of hungry." Aerith quickly grabbed the plate of sandwiches, while Yuffie complained she was still hungry, and Tifa started cleaning dishes. I stood awkwardly amongst it all until I felt Tifa's hand on my shoulder, "Leon... I don't mean to meddle, but you really should eat something. You look very thin." I glared at her for a moment. She didn't even know me or what I normally looked like. She averted her gaze and quickly stepped back. I shook my head, "I'm not hungry."

_--------------Cloud's PV--------------_

I watched the man leave and finished my sandwich. I left my mess on the table and quickly got up to head to his room. Well, _our_ room, I guess. I slowly opened the door and stepped in. He was sitting on his bed with his head in his hands and barely looked up as I entered. Trust me, I liked silence just as much as this guy probably did, but this was one of those strange and awkward silences.

"So uh... I heard you guy's hadn't heard from Sora in a while?" I attempted a conversation.

He lifted his head to stare at me as if he was seeing me for the first time, "Yeah."

"Well, if it helps put you at rest at all... I did see Sora and his two little ... friends ... about a week ago over at the coliseum." When I thought of his friends it disturbed me. I've seen plenty of strange things and creatures before, but something about those two was just... _weird_.

Leon looked up at me again and sat there silently. I shifted and avoided his piercing gaze. He sighed and rubbed his neck, "How are they doing?"

I shrugged, "Well if the normal for them is being constantly upbeat and energetic all the time, then well... I'd say they were doing fine."

_Wait! No way! Did I just see a _smile_ appear on the man's lips? I think so! I wasn't even sure if he was_ capable_ of smiling._

But just as soon as it appeared, it disappeared. He nodded and lay back on his bed. I did the same and we sat in silence that wasn't even all that awkward. It was a nice change.

I woke a little later on and realized I was alone again. I peered out the window and noticed it was dark out. Well, it was ALWAYS dark here, but I knew it was a night time dark. I stood up and stretched. Glancing at the empty bed again I slipped out of the room. Where did this Leon guy always go? Ah, well ... who cares. I trudged down the hallway and peeked around the corner to the kitchen. Aerith was sitting at the table drinking tea and reading a letter. _Does she ever leave this room_? I looked for a sign of Yuffie as I slowly went in.

Aerith looked up from her letter and smiled, "She's not here. Her and Leon are out patrolling." I sighed in relief and sat opposite her. She instantly stood up and shuffled to the counter, "Would you like some tea? Or something to eat?"

I shook my head and waved her off, "Nah, not hungry."

She stared at me for a moment before sitting back at the table.

I looked around for a clock but I couldn't find one. I groaned in frustration and kept looking. Aerith looked up from her letter again and grinned, "It's only eight o'clock."

I stared at her with confusion. How did she _do_ that? She went back to reading her letter and sipping her tea. I stood up to leave but she quickly said, "Don't be too late. Tifa and I are going to start making some dinner soon."

I looked back at her and noticed how sad she looked.

_------------------Leon's PV--------------_

I nearly strangled myself as I listened to the ninja babbling on and on about something I really didn't care for. Did she ever stop talking? Most likely not.

I noticed she was staring at me and probably just asked a question too, "Huh? Um yeah ... me too."

She smiled and threw up her arms, "See! I told her! But noooooo! Tifa seems to think-" I went back to ignoring her as we kept walking. It was ever colder out than usual and I stuffed my hands in my pockets.

Suddenly I could see that familiar blond walking towards the alleyway. We locked gazes for a second before Yuffie waved, "HEY CLOUD!" Cloud nodded to her and kept walking. Yuffie pouted, "Damnit!" I gazed at her with a questioning look and she simply sighed, "Obviously he's bored already. Going back to his broody self and all." She truly looked upset as she kicked at a few loose pebbles, "It's only a matter of days before he leaves again."

But Yuffie was wrong. Cloud was gone by that night. We were all sitting at the table eating dinner when Yuffie growled ,"Why does he always go? Are we that bad?"

Cid grunted, "You know him. Disappears for long periods of time ... it's just how he is."

Tifa gave her a reassuring smile, "He'll come back, he always does."

Yuffie looked from Cid to Tifa and sighed, "Well, where does he even go?"

Everyone looked to Tifa but she shrugged, "Don't ask me!"

Aerith suddenly spoke up from the counter, "Has anyone seen Vincent since our world disappeared?" Realization struck everyone's face as silence fell over the group. I rolled my eyes, hating to be the only one at this table that was from a completely different world, "Who's Vincent?"

Tifa gave a sad smile, "Cloud's friend."

It was silent for several more minutes before Yuffie spoke up again, "So is he out looking for Vincent or what?"

Cid shrugged, "Probably."

Aerith smiled, "I highly doubt he's gone. He's not easily taken down."

Tifa slammed her fist down on the table, "Of course he's not! But I'll be damned if I let Cloud come back without him. You know Cloud. He'll go out looking for him once, come back, and never go again. I don't care if it takes him years to find him, I refuse to let Cloud hate himself again."

"Hate himself?" Cid raised an eyebrow.

"You remember how he was after Zack." Tifa growled.

Everyone nodded and sighed.

Two weeks later and still no sign of this Cloud kid. Everyone's getting antsy, I can tell. No matter what they're doing they always glance at the door, as if he'll walk through any second. I even found myself starting to do it too. This kid was weighing on everybody's emotions and it was starting to stress me out. Even Aerith wasn't her usual cheery self. Tifa seemed to have made pacing and stopping to look out the window her daily routine. Yuffie and I were training to help keep her mind off things, but I realized after two unblocked hits to her stomach that she wasn't really in the fight all that much.

"Leon?" Yuffie asked as we took a break and sat in the grass.

"Hmmph?" I replied.

She sighed and I saw a shiver run up her spine. It was a chilly day and frost was covering the ground still from this morning.

"Do you think Cloud will come back?"

I glanced at her for only a moment, then crossed my arms for warmth, "I'm not sure... I barely knew the guy. Actually... I don't know him at all."

Yuffie bit her lip in thought, "Yeah, I know. It's just that... I don't know ... you seem to know everything. I was just wondering if you had a gut feeling or anything?"

I thought for a moment... I seem to know everything? Not in my eyes ... some days I feel like I know nothing at all. I looked over at the ninja and studied her. Her shoulders slightly sagged forward and her head hung a little low. Dark circles were forming under her eyes and yawns escaped her mouth a little too often. Had she been sleeping at all?

I was about to ask her this but she suddenly looked up at me and smiled, "So watcha think?" I stared at her long and hard but her smiled never faded, "I think he'll be back." Her smile widened at my simple words and scooted closer to lay her head on my shoulder, "You see Squall ... even if Cloud doesn't come back, it'll be all right. I know you and I know you'd never leave us. At least not on purpose. I don't care how mean or antisocial you can get... I know you care. Maybe you don't express it very much, but I know."

My mouth opened in surprise and I stared at the top of her head. Her breathes came out slowly until they turned into the soft breathes of sleep.

I leaned back and on my hands relaxed while I let Yuffie sleep. We sat like that for hours, but I didn't mind. I needed to rest just as much.

"Leon." Tifa came around the corner.

Yuffie didn't wake but I turned my head to look at her.

She watched Yuffie for a second before sighing, "Wake Yuffie. Cloud's back." From the look of sadness in Tifa's eyes I could tell Cloud had come back empty handed. She turned and slowly walked back to the hotel.

I shook the ninja laying on my shoulder, preparing for a burst of energy. She squinted in the light and rubbed her eyes, "Huh?"

I shrugged, "Oh nothing."

She glared at me and laid back down, "You jerk! You woke me for nothing!"

I shrugged, "Yup. For nothing. Oh yeah Cloud's back."

Her eyes shot open and she jumped to her feet, "WHAT? Come on!" She pulled me to my feet and took off at a dead sprint. I chuckled once I was up and slowly made my way back to the hotel. But I still couldn't get that look on Tifa's face out of my head.

_----------------Cloud's PV--------------_

Great... MORE fussing. _Just_ what I wanted.

"Cloud, where'd you go?"

"Did you find Vincent?"

"Is he okay?"

"What about Sora? Did you see him?"

"Where'd you get that bruise? Eww... that's kind of nasty looking."

I sighed, "Too many questions!"

The two of them immediately shut up and took a step back. I smiled in relief. I saw Tifa leaning against the counter to my right and sighed, "Tifa, I tried. I couldn't find him. I think he's go-." Then the door burst open and Yuffie flew through with a bored looking Leon behind her.

"CLOUD!" She practically jumped across the room and threw her arms around my neck. Yuffie repeated all the questions from earlier and I groaned. I glanced over her shoulder and saw Leon leaning against the wall with one leg crossed over the other. He seemed amused by my obsessors. I glared at him and looked back at Yuffie. She was still asking questions and I finally blew up, "I DIDN'T FIND VINCENT, OKAY? Just leave me ALONE! If you guys are so worried why aren't you out looking for him, huh?" I jumped up and knocked my chair back. Yuffie and Aerith gasped. "What do you want from me? First you're all upset that I left in the first place and then I come back and you get mad at me for coming back!" I stormed out of the kitchen towards the bedroom.

I wasn't all that surprised when I realized Leon had beat me to the room. I just had a feeling he would all ready be there anyway. When I entered he only glanced over his shoulder as he untied his boots. I leaned back against the door and closed my eyes.

"I saw Sora yesterday." I suddenly sounded calm..

Leon stopped with his boots and looked over at me, "Where?"

"He just got done locking Atlantica. Said he was going to explore a new world for a little bit then head back her for a visit." I saw Leon try to hide a smile. He wasn't as feeling-less as I thought.

"Do you have feelings for the kid?" I suddenly blurted out. I mentally kicked myself in the head and closed my eyes again, "Sorry ... that was a personal question and we don't even know each other."

He stared at me in shock. I stared back.

Eventually I heard a soft knock on the door. Aerith.

"Boys?" I stared back at Leon a second longer then turned to open the door.

Aerith softly slipped in and smiled at us. I looked back at Leon and realized the shock hadn't left him.

Aerith noticed this and raised an eyebrow, "Leon? You okay?"

He snapped out of it and waved her off.

She sighed and looked back at me, "Cloud, you should go to bed. You look like you need sleep."

I glared at her and her motherly instincts before starting to pull off my clothes. She turned a little pink in embarrassment and turned away, "Leon, you should get some rest too."

"It's still early." Leon grunted.

Aerith bit her lip and pouted, "But Leon, you haven't slept more than a few hours for weeks."

He shrugged.

Yuffie chose that moment to hop in to the room, "Yeah! And no running off from now on! I'm talking to both of you. No leaving the house unless you're together or something because I know Leon would never leave this world without us and Cloud wouldn't skip a meal ... so maybe you guys could teach each other a few things." She gave me a small smile, as if she was afraid I'd blow up again.

We both glared at her and finished changing. The two girls slipped back out and we were left in silence again.

"No." Leon suddenly said, not even looking at me.

"No? No what?" I stood confused.

He shrugged, "No, I don't have feelings for Sora."

"Oh." Was all I said.

We both climbed in to bed and laid in the somewhat dark room.

I watched him sleep. He seemed to like to fall asleep on his back and not move, unlike me, who fell asleep on my side and tossed and turned all night.

Did he not have a problem in the world? He looked that way when he slept. It must be nice ... not having to worry.

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**-Roxis**


	2. Ch2: Secession

**Mmkay, Chapter 2! **

**So Riei, I took your advice and changed the breakers so you know who's PV it is at the time. Hope it helps- cuz when I'm writing I know who's PV is who's, so I don't really think too much about whether or not everyone else can figure it out lol. Lol and tell me if something isn't looking right, like I don't know how to explain it, but like if something is off. I'm new to this whole thinger and I'm still learning my way around the site. Thanks!**

**Anyway, this chapter is really short compared to the last. It's only like 2,000 something words! But they won't all be this short, I promise. **

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**Chapter 2**

**Secession**

_------------Cloud's PV-----------------_

I groggily opened an eye and took in the room around me. It was now even darker than before and I couldn't hear a single thing. _I guess everyone is asleep_.

A small shuffled noise from the other bed made me realize that Leon was still in the room. I churned my neck to get a better look at him. He was rubbing his eyes and slowly sitting up.

"Wow, I'm surprised you're still here." I smirked at him.

He raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes, "You're one to talk."

I frowned and watched him roll out of bed.

"I have my reasons for leaving." I glared at him through the dark.

He pulled on his leather jacket and sighed, "And I have my reasons for never being around."

I got off the cot and pulled my own cape and jacket on, "Yeah well, what are your's?"

He looked at up at me, "What are _your's_?"

I narrowed my eyes, "That's none of your business!"

He looked at me like I was stupid, "And what I like to do is none of YOUR business."

We stood there glaring at each other for several minutes. He broke the look by grunting and walking out the door. I followed.

"What are you doing?" He stopped and looked at me.

This time I looked at _him_ like he was dumb, "I'm making sure you eat, remember? Yuffie said-"

"You can't be serious." He stared at me with wide eyes, "You're actually taking what Yuffie said to heart and following me around like a mother hen?"

I opened my mouth to say something but he cut me off, "Doesn't it ever hit you that maybe I eat ... just not at the hotel?"

I tried a second time, but he cut me off again, "I thought Yuffie said you were broody and didn't talk much? You sure seem to like to talk."

"Whatever."

And in the next thirty seconds: a silent friendship was formed. A strange and unbelievable one, but a friendship none-the-less. You may be in disbelief, but I'm telling the truth. From then on we didn't leave for anywhere without each other. I silently made sure he ate and he silently made sure I didn't leave. We would patrol the perimeters of the world for heartless all day and half the night. Sometimes we would train when we had the time. Since my blow up the day I came back, Leon and I hadn't been back to the hotel. We would usually sleep in the cavern or over at Merlin's.

Leon was in love with the cavern. It was his sanctuary and I was proud that he was willing to share it with me. I would usually lie in the rocks, hands under my head, and Leon would lean against the wall with his ankles crossed. Occasionally he would drift closer to the wall at the end of the cavern and stare at it in a daze. Every single time he did it, I'd simply stare at his back and wonder what it was that fascinated him so.

We'd been friends for only a few weeks, yet the guy knew me inside and out. He understood that I wasn't ready to go back to the hotel and face the others, especially Tifa, yet. He never asked questions about Vincent or asked if I wanted to talk. He knew I'd say no.

"I saw Tifa today." I looked at Leon. He glanced at me and threw another rock.

I gave a small laugh, "I think she's following me."

Leon smiled a little bit, "Aerith probably set her on the job."

"Yeah, probably." We both chuckled under our breath and I picked up a flat rock.

We were sitting behind Merlin's house, trying to skip rocks in the water.

"Why did Merlin choose such a weird place to put a house?" I asked.

Leon shrugged, "The house was all ready here. Abandoned. Merlin doesn't like to be disturbed by the heartless and other nearby troublemakers, so he chose this place. The giant stones in the water were all ready here. He enchanted them to move to the side to trick trespassers."

We've now stayed at Merlin's house for three days and I haven't seen the wizard once. Leon said he went on a lot of 'trips', but to where, neither of us knew.

"So did he put that entrance to his house in the cavern for you guys or what?" I thought of the enchanted floorboard that appeared out of the roof of the cavern.

"Kind of. It was mainly for me. He knows it's my favorite place and he hates when I sleep in there. Always telling me I'm going to catch my death down there."

I nodded and examined the kid. Yeah, you heard me. He's the kid, not me. I think sometimes he forgets he's only 17 and I'm all ready 22, because he calls _me_ 'kid' all the time. His hair never seemed to grow longer; It's been the same length since I first met him. My own hair never really grew either, though. I blame it on slow metabolism.

"Did you need something?" Leon raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?" I asked, shaking the pictures of Leon out of my head.

"You were staring at me." He replied.

"Oh." Was all I said.

He looked like he expected me to say more, but I didn't. We sat in a strange silence and I suddenly remembered something Leon said, "So you said this house was abandoned right?"

Leon sighed and laid back, "Mmhmm."

"Why are there so many abandoned places around here?"

Leon shrugged, "People try to make a living here, since they have no choice. Like Cid and his gummi shop, you know? Well anyway, a lot of people seem to mysteriously disappear. We always wondered if someone or something was taking them, but because of all the personal items that seem to disappear with them, we think they just figured out how to get off this world."

I ran a hand through my hair, "Well, if a normal person can get off this world_ that_ easily, I'm sure you guys could too."

He turned to me, "What do you mean?"

I thought for a moment, "I mean, why do you guys stick around this place? Why don't you look for other worlds, like everyone else?"

Leon went quiet, "...I'm not sure."

The next night we sat in the cavern. Rainwater in the drain from the alley was overflowing, but we didn't care. I was still lying in the rocks and Leon was all the way at the end of the cavern, standing in water about two feet deep. He had his left hand up against the picture as he traced the patterns with his right hand. I smiled and sat up. Watching him always amazed me. He was so calm and collected; so quiet and mysterious. He was a god in my eyes. A brown headed and golden eyed god.

"Cloud?" I snapped out of my trance and realized Leon had caught me staring.

"You all right?" He asked.

I yawned and realized how drowsy I was, "Yeah... just tired."

He chuckled, "You can take a nap if you want."

I shook my head and stood up.

He treaded through the water and made his way up the rocks.

We watched each other for a few minutes, but I looked away and bit my lip, "The last time I saw Vincent, we got in a fight."

His eyes rose with confusion. It took him a moment but eventually he realized I was ready to talk about my past.

"He had a shaky and confusing past that would take me weeks to try and explain to you, but let's just say he was... complicated. Anyway, to make a long story short, we eventually became more than friends. The day before our world disappeared we had a huge fight. I can't even remember what it was over. Well anyway, I was yelling and yelling at him over and over while he sat there calmly. I think that's what irked me. He never fought back. He didn't care enough about our relationship. I mean don't get me wrong, he cared about me, I was his best friend. He loved me like a friend does; he just didn't love me the way he thought I wanted. He couldn't get the love from his past out of his head and it was driving me insane."

I glanced up at Leon. He wasn't looking at me, but I knew he was listening closely.

"I think what kills me the most is the fact that I didn't love him either. I was just trying to forget an old love as well. And we had destroyed our friendship over it all. We were both running from things we couldn't change and apparently thought it would be easier to run together, but we were wrong. Look, I know he's okay. Even if our world was destroyed, I know he made it. I just know. But, I don't want to look for him. I don't want to find him and he doesn't want to find me. Our friendship is over and we both understand. It's time to move on."

"So why did you go looking for him?" Leon suddenly said.

I stared at him with shock. I didn't have an answer.

He nodded and we stayed silent. It wasn't the best way to tell him, hell, he was probably confused as fuck. But I didn't care. He knew the basics; that was enough.

I shifted and glanced around, "What time is it?"

He didn't take his eyes off me, "Almost morning."

I nodded and stood up, "I'm ready to go back to the hotel. Plus, I'm starving. Free food."

_-------------------Leon's PV-----------------------_

I walked behind him as we trudged through the deep drain, becoming soaked past our waists. He led the way through the dark alley towards the second district. I followed by instinct and watched the back of his head. He had been staring at me pretty intently earlier._ What was he thinking_ _about?_

Once we were up the steps I examined the old hotel. We hadn't been back for a few weeks and for some reason it seemed different. Like I could feel the energy flowing out of it. Cloud glanced back at me and I knew he felt it too. We waited a second before opening the front doors. The front lobby was deserted but we could hear loud laughter from down the hall.

We dripped water everywhere as we followed the noise. It was coming from the kitchen. Cloud suddenly slid to the side to let me pass and I knew he didn't want to walk in first. I passed him and stepped in to the room. Silence surrounded us as everyone stared. I took in my surroundings and stood wide-eyed.

"Leon!" Sora jumped up from his chair and ran over to me. He gave me a half hug that I barely returned and smiled, "Wow, it's been a while since I've seen you."

He looked behind me and saw the blond, "Cloud! You're living here too?"

Cloud smiled and nodded.

I continued to stare at the kid. He had grown since I last saw him and it had only been a couple months. His hair was longer and darker and his skin was scarred with scratches and cuts. His clothes had changed, he was a helluva lot taller, and he was carrying a different key blade.

Sora laughed and lightly punched me in the shoulder, "Yeah, yeah, I've changed. The girl's have already established that. You can stop gaping, it's not like you."

I shut my mouth and glared at him.

"There you go- that's your usual self." He laughed and sat back down, "But I'm not staying long. Just came for some supplies then we're hitting the road."

I nodded.

He sighed, "Well, I think we're going to go to bed now. We plan on leaving early tomorrow morning."

"You're leaving _that_ soon?" I asked.

"Well, actually, I got here last week, but you haven't been home." The kid frowned and his eyes traveled to his shoes.

I could feel the guiltiness radiating off Cloud in waves, but I felt no anger towards him. How was he to know Sora would show up?

"Actually, guys... I'm not sure how many more visits I'll be making after this one. Maybe one or two more but that's it. I'm getting so close to finishing this."

We all nodded and Sora turned so he could see everyone, "And if this is the last time we see each other then I just want to thank you all for helping me. I probably couldn't have done it without you guys. Especially you, Leon. The first time we met, you saved my life."

I swallowed and nodded. He came over and gave me another hug and I actually hugged him back. He hugged everyone else after and retreated to his room. I turned to leave as well.

"Wait! Leon!" Aerith hopped up.

I stopped and looked over my shoulder.

"Where are you going?" She bit her lip.

"Nowhere of your concern." I started to leave again and I could hear her protests. I ignored them and made my way down the hall. I couldn't hear any footsteps but I knew Cloud was right behind me.

* * *

**-Roxis**


	3. CH3: Gone Again

**Mkay, so maybe I lied a little. This chapter is pretty short too. Eventually they will get longer though! **

**Anyway, I'm not a big fan of this chapter. I'm not exactly sure why, either. But I am all ready half way through the fourth chapter, so that should be up pretty soon too. I can't promise anything though, because school started a week ago and I've literally been swamped with like 2 - 3 hours of homework a night, plus volleyball and choir.**

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews! They keep me going! lol**

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**Chapter 3**

**Gone Again**

I stepped into the cold outside air and glanced around. Cloud was beside me and I heard him groan at the temperature change. We hesitated before starting toward my number one sanctuary. The cavern.

I'm not sure why the cavern was so special to me. Maybe it was the strange picture on the end of it. I don't know. Something about it mesmerized me.

We sat in silence when suddenly I looked at Cloud. He was lying on his back like usual, arms above his head. I leaned back against the cool rock wall and sighed, "You were right, you know."

"Huh?" He seemed half awake.

"You were right."

He sat up and shook the sleepiness from his eyes, "Right about what?"

"What I felt for Sora."

He shifted his gaze from mine and sighed, "You love him?"

I thought for a moment. Love? No, it wasn't quite that strong.

"No, I didn't love him. But, yes, I did have feelings for him."

"I see." He scrunched his brow in thought, "Wait, you _did_ have feelings or you _do_?"

"I did." I hung my head a little and pretended to be interested in my boot, "I realized it was foolish though. I'll probably never see him again and even if I do it won't matter. He loves that Riku kid."

I heard Cloud stand up and approach me. I waited until I saw his feet only inches from mine before I looked up. He gave me a half smile and slowly brought his hand to my shoulder. It was the first time we had come in to physical contact and it seemed unfamiliar. I tensed up a little bit and he massaged my shoulder to calm me.

"I thought..." He scrunched his brow again, "I don't know ... never mind."

I stood waiting for him to say something again but he never did.

_-----------------Cloud's PoV-------------------_

His shoulder was warm under my hand, despite the cold. I wasn't sure what I was about to do, but I acted like I was.

He stared straight in to my eyes as we stood there and I nearly melted. Those golden eyes, that _perfect_ mouth. I leaned closer to him and slid my hand from his shoulder to his neck. At first I hesitated while rubbing small circles on the back of his neck and hairline, then I leaned all the way and brought my lips to his. It wasn't a real kiss, more like a small brush. He didn't push me away but he didn't say it was okay to try again. I leaned back and examined him. His face was emotionless but his hand had found its way to my back. We stood like that several more minutes, just staring in to each other's eyes.

Water splashed behind us and I turned to glare at whoever was interrupting our moment. Tifa was making her way up the bank.

"Cloud." She crossed her arms.

I crossed my arms as well and waited for her to say something. She remained silent.

Suddenly something popped in my head, "Where are the others, huh? Have you been looking for them at all?"

She looked genuinely shocked and opened her mouth, "W-what?"

"Marlene. Barret. Denzel. Where are they?" I gave her a smart look.

She glared at me, "I haven't found them yet."

"How hard did you look?" I asked.

She swallowed back tears, "I looked everywhere for them!"

"So you just gave up?"

"No! I've been searching for them since our world disappeared! This is just a stop along the way. I wasn't originally planning on staying. But I figured out you were here too and thought maybe we could search _together_. Though, obviously you're not interested in finding _him __anymore,_ are you?"

"What do you mean?"

She took a step towards me, "VINCENT! I'm talking about Vincent! How come you just gave up looking for him after only a few weeks, huh? Completely forgot he existed once you met Leon, didn't you? Wondered why you were still looking for him once you realized Leon was just as quiet ... just as … just as _beautiful_, huh?"

My fists clenched and I glanced over at Leon. He wasn't watching us; he was staring at that damn picture again. Why did he love that friggin' thing so much? Did he even notice we were fighting? Probably not. I glared back at Tifa again and mustered my coldest voice possible, "You don't know a thing about Vincent OR Leon or _me_ for that matter."

I pushed past her and jumped in to the water, making my way outside.

_----------------Leon's PoV------------------_

It took everything I could muster not to follow Cloud out of the cavern. Tifa was fuming from the bank and I stood awkwardly where I was. She swallowed and paced over and over. I tried to silently head towards the front of the cavern, but she noticed my presence and looked up at me, "He loves Vincent. Okay?"

I swallowed, but remained silent.

She sighed, "I'm not sure what he told you about their relationship, but it was probably a lie. Cloud loves Vincent and Vincent loves him. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you remind me of him a lot. You probably remind Cloud of him a lot too. That's why Cloud loves being around you so much. I don't think you're much more than a replacement." She gave me a sympathetic look and turned to leave.

I blinked several times and rubbed my temples. Why were people so confusing? Did this mean Cloud lied to me about the _entire_ Vincent story? She had said I was like Vincent. Was he just using me? Tifa also thought I was just a replacement for Vincent at the time. Once he found the real person he loved, I'd probably be chopped liver.

Either way, I had to find Cloud.

It was raining outside and I pouted. Literally pouted. If Yuffie could have seen my face right then, she surely would have laughed and taken pictures. Rarely did I ever _pout_, but the water was coming down in sheets and soaking me to the bone. I had every right to look like a kicked puppy.

I started my search with the second district and then the third. I checked every building, corner, and alley. After sighing in defeat, I pushed open the doors to the first district. I was the only one stupid enough to be out at this hour in the pouring rain, but I didn't care. I wanted some answers.

I couldn't see anything from where I was so I climbed the usual boxes and hopped up Cid's roof. I stood there staring in the dark before noticing Cloud leaning against one of the gables. He was just as soaked as I was and his spiked hair was a little deflated, but other than that, he seemed oblivious to the fact that it was raining. I took a step closer and his head shot in my direction. We stared at each other for a moment before I kneeled next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He glanced down at my hand and then back at my face.

"Let's talk." I said.

He looked worried for a moment, but that quickly faded. He nodded his head and gestured to take a seat.

I shook my head, no way, no more rain, "No, not here. We're going to be sick as hell if we don't dry off."

He nodded again and stood up.

I led the way off the roof. He followed without a question. But where would we go? Surely not back to the hotel, and going to the cavern wouldn't solve our wet problem. I remembered Merlin's house and took the shortcut to the third district.

I knew I had made the right choice as soon as I stepped in to the house. A fire was burning brightly on one side, giving off heat as soon as we stepped in, and Merlin was at his desk. He gazed up at me from his book and shifted his glasses, "Squall! Long time no see!"

I gave a half smile and gestured to Cloud, "May we stay?"

Merlin hopped from his chair, "Of course, of course!"

He started pushing stuff off the bed and pulling out his wand to change the sheets. Merlin glanced at us over his shoulder, "Oh, for goodness sake, Squall. Get out of those clothes! You'll both catch a cold if you don't dry off. We all know Aerith will scold me for weeks if I let that happen."

I chuckled. Merlin always reminded me of a mother hen, himself. He was also the only person I had a normal conversation with. I told him practically everything and even _joked_ with him sometimes. I know, crazy, huh?

"Sure thing, Merlin." I pulled off my leather jacket and placed it on the rope that was strung over the fire. I motioned for Cloud to do the same thing. We stripped out of everything wet and Merlin came striding in to the room with two blankets, "Here, wrap these around your-selves." We obeyed and took the blankets. He pushed us closer to the fire and we sat down.

"So who's this?" Merlin asked as he made a pot of tea appear out of thin air.

"This is Cloud." I said.

Merlin smiled at Cloud who smiled back, "How come no one tells me these things anymore? I didn't even know we had a visitor!"

"I thought Aerith would have told you." I gladly took the mug that he handed me.

"No, Aerith hasn't been around in a while." Merlin looked sad, "I miss her company."

I chuckled, "Hasn't been around in a while? You do know that you haven't been home for the past couple weeks, right?"

Merlin was about to say something but his face suddenly perked up as he looked at his clock, "Oh dear! I'm going to be late!"

"For what?"

"I promised to meet Sora in Cid's shop. He had a few questions about a certain summon piece he found."

"Why Cid's shop?" I asked.

"Cid's improving the gummi ship at this moment, so Sora thought it'd be easier if we were just right there. You know how Cid would get if he had to walk all the way to my house to tell us the ship's ready." Merlin chuckled.

I smiled.

"Anyway, I'll be back in a few hours. Maybe closer to morning, I don't know." He waved a final time and with a 'pop' he was gone.

I sighed and scooted closer to the fire. I could feel Cloud watching me.

"Why does he call you Squall?" He suddenly asked.

I shrugged, "It's my real name. He won't listen when I tell him to call me Leon."

Cloud thought this over for a moment, "But why do you want to be called Leon anyway?"

"Just trying to erase the past." I replied.

He gave me a weird look, "Erase the past?"

I turned away, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I stood absolutely still as Cloud stepped in front of me, placing his forehead to mine and closing his eyes. I swallowed and waited. I didn't want this. Not after what Tifa told me. I wouldn't let him use me.

Cloud finally opened his eyes. We stared at each other for a moment, and then Cloud closed the distance to bring his lips to mine for the second time.

I brought my hand up to his chest and gently pushed him away. He looked at me, confused, and I crossed my arms, "Tifa told me something earlier."

Cloud frowned, "Don't listen to her. It's a load of crap."

I raised an unconvinced eyebrow, "Really?"

"Look, I'm tired. Can we talk about this in the morning?" He started towards the bed.

I watched his retreating back and sighed. You see, I'm smarter than he thinks. I know there will be no tomorrow for us to talk. He was leaving and he was leaving tonight.

I joined him in the bed and observed as he carefully made sure he was on the outside. Yep, I was right. He was leaving. For good this time? I didn't know.

I lay on my back and looked to see if he was even trying to sleep, but he was turned away from me. His breath was coming out evenly and it actually seemed like he was sleeping. I knew better though. He was waiting for me to fall asleep. And I obliged. Within minutes I was out.

"Squall? Squuaalll?" I carefully opened one eye and saw Yuffie beaming down at me.

"Wha?" I mumbled and tried to turn away.

"Oh come one, Squall! Wake up!" She started jumping on the bed. I groaned in frustration and pushed her off.

She giggled and squealed and made other annoying sounds while jumping up and down, "There was so another person sleeping in this bed last night!"

"What are you talking about?" I sighed and tried to turn away again.

"You can just tell that another person was sleeping here last night! And since Merlin wasn't here ... not that I thought you and Merlin had some kind of romance going on ... because that's actually kind of creepy. Anyway, that means it had to be Cloud!" She suddenly stopped and her eyes went wide, "YOU AND CLOUD SLEPT TOGETHER! OH MY GOD!" She giggled frantically and I completely twisted my body around, "Oh, shut up Yuffie!"

She squealed again, "You did! You did!"

"I did not!" I sat up, "We slept in the same bed but that's it!"

She took in my appearance, "But! You're half naked!"

I growled and pointed towards the fireplace, "My clothes are drying."

She glanced back at them and smiled, "Oh, I see. Anywho, where's Cloud?"

I averted my gaze.

Her voice softened to a whisper, "He left again, didn't he?"

I scooted over so she could join me on the bed. She may be loud, annoying, and even a bit stupid, but she was the only person I would probably ever do this for. She lay next to me and I wrapped my arms around her back as she put her head on my chest. I was pretty sure there were no tears, because Yuffie didn't cry often.

"Why does he _always_ leave?" She sighed, "You're his best friend, Leon. Come on, tell me."

"Why do you care so much about when he leaves?" I asked.

She shrugged, "He's my friend. Or at least… I thought he was."

I rubbed her back.

"Do you think he'll be back?" She looked up at me.

"… I hope not."

She gave me a strange look and observed my face, "Did he do something to you?"

I shrugged, "Not really."

She sat up a little and I told her the short story. I told her about the cavern and Tifa and even the kiss. She nodded every once in a while, but other than that, remained quiet. The story only took a few minutes, but it felt like an hour as I tried to explain.

"Man." She shook her head.

I shrugged again, "It's not a big deal. He barely did anything."

She sighed, "Squall, he used you in every sense of the word. It was selfish. Maybe you guys did nothing more than kiss and maybe the kiss was tiny, but he used you. He tried to replace someone he loved for the time being, so _he_ wouldn't have to feel the pain. Therefore; he dragged another person's feelings in to the mess and then left them hanging when he disappeared. It was wrong. At least you were smart enough to push him away the second time."

I gave her a blank stare. It amazed me how the chatty, impulsive girl could easily turn in to a calm and smart woman.

"So … does this mean you're gay?" Her face suddenly lit up and she giggled.

Forget my last thought.

"Yuffie." I turned away, "Shut up."

* * *

**-Roxis**


	4. Ch4: The Fifth District

**Hey there, everyone! Sorry this chapter took so long to get up. I've been so unbelievably busy! Anyway, just to let you know, this chapter is all Leon. It breaks every once in a while, but the POV doesn't change, mkay? I read through this chapter severals time trying to catch mistakes, but I did them all so fast that I apologize if there are still quite a bit in there.**

**Well, hope you like this chapter. Reviews are lovely!**

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**The Fifth District**

I followed Yuffie through the streets. It was early morning and the place was beyond crowded. My usual café had an hour waiting time and there was a line to switch districts because so many people were trying to get through.

"I hate it when it's like this."

I nodded my agreement and glared as a man accidentally brought an elbow to my ribs. Every few weeks, traders from the furthest districts came down here to sell their goods for a few days. Once they left, people from our districts brought their stuff to the other districts. It was a constant process. The place would go from completely packed to completely empty, then for about a two weeks time, it was normal.

All in all, Traverse Town had over twelve districts. I stick around the first three districts because they are the only ones I know well enough to roam freely.

So when I remind myself of how boring and tedious this world is: I ignore the fact that there are still nine districts to be explored. Some day I will walk through them though.

"I'm hungry." Yuffie looked back at me and frowned.

I rolled my eyes, "Well, what do you expect me to do about it?"

She should know, as well as I, not to expect much food on the whole three days that the traders were here. Aerith was constantly out and Cid disappeared in some of the stranger shops, hoping to find some rare gummi piece or another. Leaving Yuffie and I alone to fend for our-selves. Neither us knew how to cook and neither of us wanted to learn. The wait at each restaurant or café was always an hour or longer and we were too damn impatient to sit calmly. Therefore; we barely ate.

Yuffie's face suddenly brightened and she hopped up and down, "I know! I know!"

I raised a curious eyebrow and motioned for her to go on.

"Let's just enter the fifth district. I'm sure they have some kind of eating-place! And since everyone keeps to the first four districts during the first week of festivities, it'll be empty!" The look on her face was price-less as it became a mix of thought and excitement; It reminded me of the face someone would make if they just now understood the answer to a joke that was said weeks ago.

"I've never left the first three districts… ever." I said flatly.

She waved that off, "Yeah, me neither! Who cares! I'm sure all the districts are the same. Besides, if anything goes strange or weirdies follow us, you're there to protect me!"

I couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped my lips as she gave me her best puppy face, "Please? I'm staaarving!"

"Fine." I sighed.

She thrust a fist in the air, "Yes! Fifth district, here we come!"

I rolled my eyes as I followed her out the doors of the third district and in to the fourth. We both stopped for a moment to look around. It looked a bit like the third district, except there was no memorial statue, and we cautiously snuck through the masses of people. No one even seemed to notice us.

"So uh… where's the entrance to the fifth district?" Yuffie scratched her head. I shrugged and scanned the walls.

"We'll ask someone!" Yuffie suddenly jumped up. A strange hunched looking woman stalked by and Yuffie carefully stepped in front of her, "Um… hi… do you know how to get out of here to the next district?"

The woman smiled and first pointed the way we came, "Sure dear, the third district is located there and the fifth is behind the library."

Yuffie smiled and thanked her while grabbing my hand and yanking me in the second direction. A small building labeled 'Library' appeared as we pushed free of the crowd. The building was friendly looking and we both stopped to stare. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of books one would find in there. Records? Stories? Biographies? Reference books? Cook books? What could the people of Traverse Town possibly be interested in reading about?

"I think I see the doors." Yuffie grabbed my hand again. I followed her through an alley. The road was made of cobblestone and the walls were covered in vines. A black gate separated the path in two and I guessed one side was for incoming people and the other for out-going. A few men wheeled carts full of merchandise by on the other side of the gate and we tried to look over.

"Come on, let's keep going!" Yuffie suddenly grabbed my hand again and pulled me through the doors.

The fifth district was absolutely breath taking. The walls were high and had large murals painted on them. A park sat in the middle of the entire place and a gold gate went around it. Shops lined all the walls and the place had an oldtown feel about it. Several kids ran by playing tag. We dodged them and slowly walked forward.

"Wow." Yuffie stared wide-eyed.

I nodded my agreement.

"Why are we living in the second district when we could be here?"

"No clue." I grunted.

The district looked like a giant replica of my cavern. The murals that lined the walls were made of moons and stars on one side and suns and clouds on the other.

"It's pretty. Reminds me of your little hide out." Yuffie glanced at me.

I nodded.

"I wonder what the other districts look like." She rubbed her chin.

"Come on, let's find somewhere to eat."

It wasn't long before we found a small diner towards the middle of the district. A young girl, about fourteen, smiled and ushered us in. She was middle height, not much shorter than Yuffie, and her skin was very dark. Her black curly hair was pulled back in to a ponytail and the end reached the middle of her back. She looked almost too young to be working.

"Did you guys have a preference as to a booth or table?"

"Nah." Yuffie shrugged, "Wherever you can fit us."

The girl smiled and led us to a cozy booth in the corner. She smiled once more before leaving to greet the next customers.

"So." Yuffie said as she pulled off her jacket and leaned forward.

"So?" I sighed.

"How are you?" She asked innocently.

"How am I? Yuffie, you should know how I am. I'm with you day and night."

Yuffie shrugged, "That doesn't mean you speak more than three words a day."

I shrugged as well, "There's nothing to talk about."

"It's kind of nice to just get away from the hotel, don't you think?" Yuffie slouched in the seat, changing the subject.

I blinked, "Yeah."

Ever since Cloud and Tifa left (about a month ago) it's been unbearable. Aerith is running herself thin trying to be all our mothers, keeping the place clean, and feeding us all; and Cid is even grouchier than usual. Yuffie and I, well, we're still our normal selves. She doesn't shut up and I don't say a word. Surprisingly enough, she was now my best friend.

The waitress reappeared at our booth and smiled," Did you guys want anything to drink?

Yuffie answered for both of us, "Just water."

"What about to eat?"

Yuffie rubbed her chin, "Um… do you guys have breakfast still? Because I want some pancakes."

The waitress nodded and turned to me.

"He'll have French toast. Lightly buttered and barely any sugar." Yuffie suddenly said.

The waitress looked from Yuffie to me and shrugged, "Sure thing."

"Wait." I sat up.

The girl stopped to look at me again.

"How old are you?" I asked.

She gave me a weird look, "Thirteen."

My eyes widened slightly. _Thirteen? Did people even hire at thirteen?_

"Only thirteen." I said thoughtfully.

She looked a little uncomfortable as she waited for me to say something to her.

"How much do you work?"

"About every day."

"Why are you working so young?" I frowned.

"Just trying to make a living, I guess. No parents."

"Where are they?" Yuffie asked.

The girl shrugged, "I don't know."

We sat in silence and the girl took her cue to leave.

"Wow." Yuffie sighed, "I sure hope Sora finishes this some time soon."

* * *

After brunch we explored the fifth district a little more. The sun was warm on my face but the breeze was chilly. I pulled my jacket on a little tighter and sighed. The weather and temperature was very weird here in Traverse Town. They only had two seasons: a form of autumn and a form of summer. No snow and no flowers in between.

"This place is pretty interesting." Yuffie's eyes darted everywhere.

"It's the same as every other district." I did my best to look bored.

"Oh, stop it! You know you're ecstatic to be here!" She punched my arm.

I rolled my eyes and followed her. The place was absolutely deserted of adults, but kids were everywhere. Playing in the golden park, running around, yelling at each other, and even fighting. I've never been a big fan of kids: useless in my eyes.

"I hate kids. They're annoying. Pointless too." I grunted as one darted right between us.

Yuffie snorted, "Please, Leon. Like they can help it. I doubt they asked to be born."

I glared at the little running hazards, "I don't care."

She grinned, "You were a kid once too, you know."

"Yeah and I hated myself back then."

She laughed, "Well, without kids, we'd kind of die out. So therefore they _are_ kind of necessary. But, I guess you'll never have to worry about them because you're gay."

My mouth dropped, "I am _not_ gay!"

She giggled, "Mmhmm…. riiight."

"I'm not." I crossed my arms and stopped.

She stopped next to me and raised an eyebrow, "So then who do u like? Men or women?"

I stared at her for a moment, thinking this over. I never actually thought about it before now. No one, boy or girl, has ever caught my eye, besides Sora and Cloud. Well, they are both guys, but I don't think that makes me gay. I mean, I never even thought of them _as _guys. I just liked _them_, their personalities. I wouldn't consider myself gay _or_ straight. I was nothing.

"I hate people in general." I said calmly.

She studied me and frowned, "I know you do."

We kept walking.

"Why?" She glanced at me.

"Why what?"

"Why do you hate everything?"

"Why shouldn't I?" I shrugged.

She went quiet for a moment.

"Not everything's horrible or pointless." She whispered.

I chuckled and repeated her words, "Not everything's horrible or pointless."

She narrowed her eyes.

"I mean, think about it, Yuffie. In the end, everything's pointless. Why get used to a world if it's just going to disappear? Why have material possessions if one day you're just going to die? Friends… family… why make them or have them if one day you're just going to lose them?"

She shook her head, "So I'm guessing you don't have a very high opinion on love then."

I snorted.

She stopped again, "Seriously, Squall. Love is the reason to live. It's what makes life exciting and special."

"What? People can't have fun or be happy with out it? It's other people that help make you happy, not love. People can go their whole life without it and be just as happy. Love is just something of your imagination. People are brought up reading about it or hearing about it, or being taught to do it, which causes thoughts to get into people's heads that they _must_ love. That they are incomplete without it."

"I think you're just afraid." She wiped her eyes. _Was she crying?_

"Afraid of what?" I snapped.

"Being in love." She looked at me.

I moaned, "You're crazy."

She sighed, "We both have our fears, Leon. You're afraid of falling in love… of completely giving your mind, body, and soul away. And I'm afraid that I'll never get to… that I'll never be given the chance. There's only one perfect soul mate for everyone and sometimes… I fear that mine already fell in love with the wrong person."

Once again, Yuffie amazed me. Where did she come up with this stuff?

"Yuff." I said.

She wiped her eyes a final time and gave me a big smile, "No worries though, right? Like you said, people can be happy without love, right?"

"Yuff." I took a step closer.

"Right?" She gave me a pleading look.

"Of course." I pressed my lips in to a thin line. She gave me another smile and started moving, "You'll never have any worries though."

"What do you mean?" I matched her stride.

"I mean… you're a good-looking guy. You've got a nice body, amazing eyes, and the most gorgeous hair I've ever seen or felt." She shrugged, "Gay _or_ straight: any guy or girl would love to have you."

I smirked, "Yeah Yuffie, but first I have to be willing to have them as well."

* * *

I sat at the kitchen table, sipping warm milk, and watching Yuffie pace the room.

"Gods! I'm so hungry!" She kept a hand on her stomach.

It was now well in to the night and Aerith was still out. We've only had one meal so far and I could hear Yuffie's stomach growling.

"Calm, Yuffie." I chuckled.

"Calm! CALM! I'm soo hungry, Leon! I'm feeling light-headed!" She nearly jumped up and down.

I grinned and took another sip of milk. Suddenly we heard the lobby doors open and shut. Both of us jumped up and waited as Aerith strolled casually in to the kitchen. Her arms were full with bags and she gave us a questioning look as we stared at her.

"I brought back some dinner."

"YES!" Yuffie nearly tackled her as she ripped the bags out of her hands.

"Jeez, Yuffie. Why not kill her while you're at it?" Cid suddenly appeared in the doorway. He nodded to me before sitting down at the table.

"I'M HUNGRY!" Yuffie growled and searched the bags some more.

Aerith abruptly ushered her away, "Sit, sit! I'll get it."

She slowly peeked in to each bag before finding what she was looking for. She pulled a container out and smiled, "Now, you guys need to share."

We glared at each other before trying to obtain dominance over the small meal. We caused potatoes to fly everywhere and we almost dropped the chicken on the floor. Yuffie pouted as I grabbed the bigger piece.

"No fair!" She stomped her feet.

"Shut up." I rolled my eyes.

"Jeez, you two are like a pair of four year-olds." Cid watched us.

I glanced at him, "Yuffie is the four year-old here."

"Yet it appears that she found a new playmate." Cid smirked.

I sent him a death glare, "As if."

Cid chuckled and leaned back.

"So what did you two do today?" Aerith started wiping off the potatoes.

Yuffie squealed, "We went to the FIFTH district!"

Aerith raised her eyebrows, "Really? What's it like there?"

"Beautiful!" Yuffie smiled through her mouth of potatoes, "Absolutely breath-taking!"

"That's gross Yuffie." Cid made a face.

"Whatever." She shrugged.

Aerith sat up, "I wish there was a district that had trees or flowers. The lack of scenery is driving me insane!"

Cid rubbed his chin, "I think the Seventh District has a greenhouse."

"We should visit it some day!" Aerith suddenly jumped up in a very non-Aerith way.

"Yeah!" Yuffie jumped up as well.

They started holding hands and twirling in a circle, "It'd be amazing!"

I raised a very amused eyebrow and watched their dance.

"Oh, come on Cid!" Yuffie reached for the older man's hand but he grunted and backed away.

They giggled and turned to me.

I stared back.

"Come on Squall!" They both grabbed an elbow and threw me in to their little circle. I groaned.

"Did I miss something? What are we celebrating?"

Everyone stopped the merriment and turned to the eager voice.

"SORA!" Yuffie scrambled over to give him a hug.

"That's me." Sora beamed.

"I thought you said you might not be back?" Cid asked.

Sora shrugged, "I didn't think I would be and well… I hate to say it, but… I'm further away from finishing this than I originally thought."

We all stood in silence for a moment before Aerith cleared her throat, "Ah, well, let's just enjoy the time we have together! Anybody want to come with to see that greenhouse tomorrow?"

"Greenhouse?" Sora asked.

Yuffie clapped her hands, "Oh, oh! I'll go, Aerith!"

Cid sighed, "I think some nature would do me some good."

Sora looked around, "I wanna go too, I guess."

"What about you, Squall?" Cid asked.

They all looked at me expectantly and I sighed, "Fine."

* * *

**-Roxis**


End file.
